Poinsettia plant named `842`

ABSTRACT

Poinsettia `842` is a new cultivar, distinguished by bright red, upright flower bracts, dark green dentate foliage, prolific branching and a 9 week flowering response time. The new plant produces a very desirable branched flowering pot plant for the late-season holiday market. Poinsettia `842` is resistant to epinasty after being confined to shipping containers. The post-production foliage and bract retention is excellent even under low light intensities in the consumer&#39;s home.

BACKGROUND OF THE PLANT

This new Poinsettia cultivar, `842`, originated as an inducedself-branching sport of a seedling known as "P-72" (not patented) in mygreenhouse in Encinitas, Calif. It was selected because of its upright,bright red flower bracts, dark green dentate foliage, prolific branchingand late-season flowering response; traits that distinguish it fromother poinsettia cultivars, and seem to make it a desirable plant forcommercial greenhouse production. After selection, `842` wasvegetatively reproduced from stem cuttings for test purposes inEncinitas, Calif. "P-72" is a proprietary plant and there are nospecimens in the public domain. Poinsetta "P-72" is not self-branchingin that no axillary branches develop as long as the apical bud is notremoved (pinched). `842` is self-branching in that during developmentaxillary branches elongate without removal of the apical bud. If undershort day conditions, the axillary branches will develop inforescences.By subjecting clones of this plant to successive generations ofvegetative propagation, it was demonstrated that the distinctivecharacteristics of `842` held true from generation to generation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

Poinsettia `842` is illustrated in the accompanying color photographs.

The upper photograph is a side view of a branched plant.

The lower photograph is a top view of the same `842` plant showingflower and bract formation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

The following is a detailed description of this new Poinsettia asobserved in Encinitas, CA, USA during December 1996. Observations wererecorded from flowering plants, grown as one branched plant per pot. Thepot was 14 cm in diameter and 11 cm in height. Color designations arecompared to the 1986 edition of R.H.S. Colour Chart, first published in1966 by The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England.

THE PLANT

Origin: Sport of a seedling. The sport was induced by application of theprocedures set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,276 to the seedling parentplant. Rootstock used was `603` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,952).

Classification:

Botanical.--Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd.

Common name.--Poinsettia.

Cultivar name.--`842`.

Form: Shrub.

Height: Short--medium.

Growth habit: As a single stemmed plant, upright and vigorous withself-branching side shoots. The application of a chemical growthretardant may be needed to restrict height for commercial pot plantproduction. I observed a branching plant in a pot with an overall heightof 38 cm and an overall width of 54 cm. The diameter of individualinflorescences is 26 cm.

Branching: Axiliary branches will develop and terminate in aninflorescence without pinching. However, it is usually desirable topinch `842` before flower induction and remove all terminal dominance.Then, all axillary branches will develop uniformly and at a faster rate.

Growth rate: Rooting of stem cutting occurs in 12-18 days underintermittent mist. The plant will flower in about 9 weeks undercontinuous long night conditions and night temperatures of about 16-18°C.

Foliage: The foliage is clean and uniformly dark green from bottom totop of the plant. The leaves are of medium size, leaf blades typically14 cm long and 11 cm wide with green petioles 5 cm long. The upper leafsurface is glabrous and smooth and the under surface is finelypubescent.

Leaf shape.--Typical leaves are generally ovate with obtuse to acutebases and acuminate tips. Leaf margins are dentate with mostly 2 lobeson each side of the leaf blade.

Color.--Upper side -- Dark green, near R.H.S. 147A. Under side -- Green,near R.H.S. 147B.

Retention.--The foliage lasts extremely well even under low lightintensities in the consumers home.

Bracts: Generally there are about 12 upright, bright red bracts ofvarious sizes subtending the cyathia. The primary bracts have bladestypically 14 cm long and 8-9 cm wide with petioles 3 cm long, reddish ontop and greenish on the under side. Bract surface is somewhat rugose.

Shape.--Primary bracts are ovate with acute bases and acuminate tips.Primary bract margins are dentate with one or two lobes on either sideof the bract. Secondary bracts are of various sizes, broadly elliptical,and have entire margins.

Color.--Upper side -- Bright red, near R.H.S. 45B. Under side -- Red,near R.H.S. 45C.

Flowers: Generally, 9-12 cyathia (flowers) per inflorescence are presentwhen the plant is in full bloom. Each cyanthium is about 6 mm long and 5mm wide, green in color, and fringed bright red at the distal end. Oneyellow nectar cup, tinged red, protrudes from the side of each cyathium.The flower pedicel is also green and about 3 mm in length. The stamensprotruding from the cyathia are dark red. The anthers are bifurcate; thepollen is yellow and copious. The stigmas are dark red and trifurcate.

Nectar exudate.--None.

Seeds.--Self-incompatible. Fertility.--Not observed.

Post production: Poinsettia `842` is resistant to epinasty after beingconfined to shipping containers and retains its leaves and flower bractsfor several weeks in the consumer's home environment.

Disease resistance: Typical of the species.

What is claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct Poinsettia plant,substantially as herein shown and described, distinguished by itsupright, bright red flower bracts, dark green dentate foliage, prolificbranching and late-season flowering response.